Is everything that you say true? Do you always do what you say that you will do? Do you sometimes lie? Maybe just a little lie?

Jesus teaches us that we should always tell the truth. Everything that we say should be truthful. Even a little lie is a lie and so is not the truth.

Jesus speaks about swearing or oaths. An oath is a strong promise. The purpose of an oath is to call on someone greater than yourself to say that your words are the truth. God himself made oaths sometimes and that was to assure his people that he really would do what he had promised. After Abraham had been about to offer up Isaac, God made an oath to Abraham. He said, “By myself I have sworn.” This was to make sure Abraham knew that God would certainly keep his promises, because God himself is true. So, oaths were used to make sure the truth was always told. The people also made oaths sometimes in the Old Testament. This meant that they would certainly do what they had promised, that they would only speak the truth.

During Jesus’ days the leaders of the people were using oaths, not to tell the truth, but to tell lies. For example, they would swear by the gold of the temple, but because that wasn’t actually the temple or God himself, they didn’t keep the promise. So, in these verses Jesus told them that everything actually belongs to the Lord, so if they made an oath by the temple, or by Jerusalem or by their hair, it made no difference because everything belongs to the Lord anyway.

Instead, Jesus told them, that they should always tell the truth. Whenever they promised to do something, they should intend to do what they said they would do. They should never tell lies.

And we should do the same. We belong to Christ, who always told the truth. And so, we must always tell the truth as well. People should know that as Christians we are truthful people.

Reflection with your child:

Why is it important to always tell the truth?

Source: Sermon by Rev. S. ’t Hart